Vivian Jacobson was a lifelong resident of Chicago until 1989 when she and her husband, a retired tax attorney, moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina. She received a BS degree in Elementary Education from Roosevelt University in Chicago, supplemented by post graduate studies in physical education, and in French language, culture and literature.  A lifetime interest in art was nurtured by trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, where she first became acquainted with the works of Marc Chagall.
    In 1974, the Jacobsons hosted a reception for Madame and Maître Chagall on behalf of the Hadassah Medical Organization of Jerusalem, and shortly thereafter, Vivian Jacobson became a founding member of the American Friends of Chagall’s Biblical Message Museum in Nice, France.  She initially served as secretary and became the president in 1978, a post she held until 1982.
    Chagall and the French association were seeking additional financial support for the museum’s exhibitions, concerts and library expansion, an undertaking which Vivian Jacobson was able to accomplish successfully.  She also led a campaign for the purchase of a replica of an 18th century Blanchet harpsichord.  Chagall painted the biblical story of Rebecca and Isaac on the inside cover of the instrument, and it was dedicated in 1981 as a testament to Chagall’s belief that the integration of art and music would create world peace.
    Vivian Jacobson was honored to work closely with Chagall on major international projects during the last eleven years of his life.  She was Chairperson for the fundraising committee to present a Chagall tapestry to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in 1986.  Woven by Yvette Cauquil-Prince of Paris, the masterful Job tapestry was commissioned by the Friends of the Chagall Tapestry.
    In 2001, Vivian Jacobson was  appointed a speaker on Marc Chagall for the North Carolina Humanities Council Forum in conjunction with the National Endowment of the Arts.  She has lectured for art groups, museums, churches, synagogues, colleges and schools nationally as well as in Europe and Israel.